Overview
There has been considerable progress in intelligent transport system (ITS) development recorded recently in all means of transport in the Czech Republic as well as in Europe.
Individual telematic applications also ensure effective road maintenance, control of technical devices in the infrastructure and their technical status. ITS collects large amounts of information and they can become a national transport policy tool with an added value. Information on the circulation of vehicles will create a link to design of multimodal systems utilising various means of transport with a positive impact on national transport policy and links to European transport systems. Creation of an effective national transport policy needs to have the creation of transport process' knowledge level ensured.
The project's objective was the design of an information portal for multimodal transport according to the needs of carriers and haulers with maximal utilisation of data from electronic toll system and other information sources with an option of collecting necessary data within practical use of portal.
The following guideline principles were used for the solution of information portal for freight multimodal transport:
- Detection of users' new needs on the basis of exploration of current systems in the whole Europe and subsequently on the basis of structured interviews with parties involved in the field of freight transport including individual carriers, haulers, shippers as well as infrastructure managers. Professional workshops will be organised in order to discuss initial portal designs. That way useful multi-functional information service shall be specified that will serve to multiple groups including infrastructure managers and that will take maximal advantage of all those groups' information.
- The proposed solution shall comply with ITIS (Integrated traffic information system) and the Czech ITS architecture which enables to share individual functions and procedures.
- The proposed solution will comply with CEN278 and ISO204 standards, dealing with transport telematics' interoperability within Europe and worldwide.
- The methodology of the proposal complies with UML advanced information system design methodology, forming complete documentation of individual functions, procedures, components, analyses and it will be possible to use the result regardless of chosen implementation technology.
- Individual attributes will be represented in ASN.1 methodology which is supported by CEN and ISO standards and which enables to define database structure regardless of its technology as well as to define communication protocol depending on communication specification (transmission speed etc.).
- Designed implementation plan will propose discussed effective alternative solutions of creation, operation, organisation and financing of the information service which will be linked to other national and international initiatives.
The resulting solution shall be exploitable by many EU projects, e.g. in the EasyWay project.
Funding
Results
Benefits of the information portal for multimodal freight transport can be summarised following several items. The information portal should:
- Provide approximate economic comparison of costs, parameters of trips from A to B according to the route and mean of transport / type of goods based on historical data or in real time.
- Provide travel times according to the route and mean of transport based on historical data or in real time.
- Deliver alternative travel options in compliance with transport policy.
- Take maximal advantage of the data provided by toll system, in case those are made available.
- Be self-learning system where user or service provider has an option to submit his own information about travel costs per unit while evaluating alternatives, or prices of specific services that are to be added to the database anonymously and to be verified and evaluated by experts.
- Pick up the threads of similar international systems, e.g. those designed within the frame of future EasyWay Euro-regional project in the EU countries.
- Utilise data from ITIS (Integrated traffic information system), eventually provide relevant data for ITIS.
- Be a tool for transport infrastructure planning regarding needs and demand for freight transport.
- Provide data to commercial traffic information providers.
- Be an open platform for functional and scope expansion.
- Notice about freight transport restrictions including temporary, weight and height limitations.
- Notice about freight transport services: rest area, toll payment, use rail transport during drivers' rest time etc.
Technical Implications
Multimodal portal concept
- Individual portal parts
- Preliminary idea about individual parts of MM-portal is outlined in this chapter, based on information stated in this report. Whole portal will be separated into several parts.
Editorial part
- Publishes general information.
Reference part
- Systematically collects information on other on-line sources (guide and navigation in the form of catalogued links).
Information part (texts, lists, databases)
- Internet applications are operated here. Individual applications and databases are located at portal's server or user connects to them remotely. Services whose piece of application is located on portal's server and e.g. other pieces or distributed database on external servers can be included into this part.
Application part
- Internet applications that ensure links to external systems are operated here and requests for information from other applications operated outside of portal are aggregated here.
ECM part (Enterprise Content Management) - Extended portal content management system. It allows connecting multiple data sources (see above) and handles data processing. It has built-in organisation procedures and controls data/document flow according to them.